Minster, Wapak softball bow out of district tournaments

Minster's Marissa Conrad slides into third base during a Division IV district semifinal game at Wapakoneta on Wednesday. (Staff Photo/John Zwez)

WAPAKONETA — The resilient Hardin Northern Polar Bears defeated the Minster softball team 3-2 with a bases-loaded single in the bottom of the seventh inning to win the Division IV district semifinal at Wapakoneta.

In the bottom of the seventh Minster starting pitcher Kayla Richard got ahead of Hannah Fisher 0-2 but Fisher came back and smacked a single to right. Addy Bame hit the next pitch down the left field line and London Crist reached on a bunt hit to load the bases. After a ball, Brooklyn Watts hit the next pitch to right field bringing home Fisher with the winning run.

The Polar Bears (16-9) will face Marion Local on Friday for Division IV district championship beginning at 5:00. The Wildcats finish their season at 20-9.

“I told the girls yesterday that it was going to be a close game and we were the home team and we will win in the end,” Polar Bears head coach Jeff Hunt said. “I really believed that was going to happen today. We have been playing in close games the last five or six games and we were able to come up with the hits when we needed to and we did it again today.”

“It was a tough loss,” Minster head coach Scott Robinson said. “There was no reason why we should have been on the losing side of this game. This team is too good a ballclub to lose a game like this. I will give credit to Hardin Northern because they hit the ball.

The Wildcats left 10 runners on base in the game including two innings leaving the bases loaded with one or two outs.

The pressure was on Minster as both teams entered the seventh inning because the Wildcats trailed 2-1 but Minster came up when they had to.

Marissa Conrad began the inning by striking out and Alexis Robinson grounded out for the second out, but that is when the Wildcats stepped up. Hahn smacked a double to deep left field and Samantha Osterfeld came in as a courtesy runner. She then came home to score and tie the game on a triple to right-center by Sara Hosey.

MAUMEE 3, WAPAKONETA 2

MILLER CITY — Wapakoneta’s softball team bowed out of the touranment with a 3-2 loss to Maumee on Wednesday at Miller City.

Maumee moves on to face Bath on Saturday at Miller City at 4 p.m.

Maumee grabbed a 3-1 lead with two runs in the fifth inning. Wapak committed two errors in the inning to help the Panthers.

Wapakoneta pitcher Renee Lovett gave up three runs with five strikeouts.